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Arousal and temporal factors in imprinting in mallards
Author(s) -
Martin James T.,
Schutz Friedrich
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.420080110
Subject(s) - imprinting (psychology) , psychology , arousal , preference , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , neuroscience , assimilation (phonology) , biology , biochemistry , gene , economics , microeconomics , linguistics , philosophy
A number of factors affecting the learning processes in laboratory imprinting were examined. Two factors alone explain the degree to which young ducklings learn the characteristics of a given model: the length of exposure to the model, and the endogenous arousal state of the duckling. A third, the effect of muscular exertion is not warranted. The characteristics of some models are more rapidly learned than others, and the significance of this fact for biochemical studies of learning is discussed. In this study ease of learning coincided with innate preference; this suggests the presence of a neural filtering mechanism in the duckling which alters the assimilation of information into the CNS and hence controls both innate preference and learnability.